League spokesman points to 'poor taste' rule

NEW YORK -- Randy Moss is almost sure to be fined for
pretending to moon fans in Green Bay during a playoff win,
according to NFL rules.

The league is looking into the star receiver's antics in
the Minnesota Vikings' 31-17 win over the Packers on Sunday and will announce its ruling later this week.

When asked for a reaction to the touchdown celebration Sunday night, an NFL spokesman told ESPN's Chris Mortensen: "Randy Moss can expect to be hearing from us."

When asked by AP whether the oft-fined Moss would be penalized again, a league spokesman recited NFL rules mandating discipline for
"obscene gestures or other actions construed as being in poor
taste."

A fine for the first offense under those guidelines is $5,000.
Moss has not previously been fined for such action, but paid a
$25,000 penalty in 1999 for squirting an official with a water
bottle.

In the last year, the NFL has dealt with a couple of highly
publicized situations that many fans found objectionable. There was
the Janet Jackson breast-baring episode during the halftime show of
the Super Bowl in February and the steamy "Monday Night Football"
introduction this season featuring Philadelphia receiver Terrell Owens and "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan.

On Sunday, Moss caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter
and headed toward the goalpost. He then turned his back to the
Lambeau Field crowd, bent over and pantomimed pulling down his
pants.

"Just having a little fun with the boys," Moss told a Fox
reporter as he left the field. "I hope I don't get in trouble by
it, but if I do I'll take the heat."

"It's not the kind of thing you want to see on national TV, but
I understand what it was all about," he said.

"Anyone who has played in the NFC Central knows what that's
about. The fans in Green Bay have a tradition in the parking lot
after the game where they moon the visiting team's bus," he said.
"It's kind of a unique sendoff."

"I had seen it seven times because when I was with the Vikings,
we lost to them seven times up there," he said.

Fox did not show a replay of Moss' display during the game.

"It was inappropriate to replay it in the context of the
game," Fox spokesman Lou D'Ermilio said.

ESPN declined to show the replay Sunday because, "in the end,
we decided a conservative approach, taking a breath rather than
rushing to air, would be prudent," spokesman Josh Krulewitz said.

He added: "In hindsight, we could have shown it once the day it happened while being very mindful of not being gratuitous about it."

Krulewitz said replays were to be shown Monday "conservatively,
based on the NFL's and the Vikings' reaction to it."

Last month, Denver quarterback Jake Plummer was fined $5,000 for
an obscene gesture.

Moss was originally fined $40,000 in 1999 for squirting an
official, but it was reduced to $25,000 on appeal.

Moss verbally abused corporate sponsors on the team bus in 2001.
That resulted in the team fining him $15,000 and forcing him to
attend anger management classes.

In December of 2002, he was fined $1,200 by a judge after being
charged with bumping a traffic officer with his car in downtown
Minneapolis.

And last week, he was chewed out by teammates for leaving the
field before the end of a loss in Washington. Center Matt Birk, one
of the Vikings' leaders, confronted him and quarterback Daunte Culpepper also was upset.

Moss, his hair poofed out in a giant Afro, had four receptions
for 70 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's game.

After Moss' second score and resulting show, Birk just shook his
head and smiled.